Summary of Petition and Why Sign:

It is a human right to have just and favorable work conditions. This is not possible without the protection from bad faith actions. These types of corrupt, deceitful, malicious, and neglectful actions cause stress and harm to individuals. There are already three exceptions to bad faith which may be applied at a State level as well as whistleblowing laws which protect some but not all equally. At a minimum, enforcing these exceptions and whistleblowing laws on the Federal level would be beneficial for both employers and employees. Good faith ethics would create safer and more just work environments.

Please help create positive change by signing this petition to provide equal protection against bad faith for all.

Detailed Petition:

Everyone deserves the right to just and favorable work conditions including good faith in the workplace and protection against bad faith such as corruption, deceit, malice, fraud, and neglect of standards and policies. We need the regulation and enforcement of Good Faith Ethics in Labor & Employment Law by providing all with protection against bad faith actions. Without it, our Human Rights are being violated in various ways. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) defines our Human Rights which are inherent to all human beings and should be protected by governments. The UDHR is meant to be the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace however, at a minimum Articles 1 thru 3, 5, 7, and 23 are not fulfilled in our workplaces. 

There are currently no United States Federal Laws enforcing ethics to provide just and favorable work conditions which is a Human Right. In turn, our rights to security of person are being violated through the harm of individuals' mental and physical health and wellbeing in torturous, cruel, and inhumane ways of which all humans should also have the freedom from. In December 2014, the United Nations created the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 9 (Liberty and security of person). This Covenant defines the security of person to be freedom from injury to the body and the mind, or bodily and mental integrity. It also states that security of person is a right meant to protect all individuals against the intentional infliction of bodily or mental injury.

The lack of Good Faith Ethics is also a Civil Rights issue because a civil right is a right given by the government which if interfered with by another gives right to an action for injury. The absence of sufficient Civil Rights against bad faith behaviors enables workplace stress and infliction of mental and physical harm on employees. To improve the prevailing crisis in our country’s workplace environments this neglect and lack of ethics needs to stop now.

The solution to our Country’s workplace bad faith crisis is to increase Civil Rights by enforcing Good Faith Ethics laws federally to protect individuals from workplace bad faith intentions. Currently, this is a psychological hazard causing trauma to individuals without care or concern for their health, safety, and wellbeing. It is unjust that our workplaces are enabled by law to allow or cause harm to employees in this way. The law has to provide protection from this abuse and lack of care for the employee. Granting protection in Federal Law is how we create a dignified, just, humane, and safe work environment with the security of person for all individuals, in agreement with our Human Rights.

Nearly every state in the U.S. is an at-will employment state, with three ethical exceptions which each state may or may not currently apply. These three exceptions are Public Policy, Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing, and Implied Contract. The Public Policy exception provides protection to employees when they exercise rights under public policies such as performing jury duty. The Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing exception requires that employers and employees act in an honest and fair manner. Lastly, the Implied Contract exception allows for conditions of employment based on statements made in employee handbooks, for example.

Good Faith Ethics in Employment Law can encompass, but not be limited to, these three exceptions. All three exceptions should be federally enforced and regulated to provide equal rights to just, favorable, honest, and safe work environments for all. In addition to these three exceptions, providing federal protection for Whistleblowers is also crucial in preventing bad faith actions. Whistleblowers are often subjected to retaliation for their complaints and there is currently no federal protection against those retaliatory actions in bad faith.

The enforcement of Good Faith Ethics is beneficial for both the employee and the employer. At the very least, federally enforcing such Good Faith Ethics is absolutely necessary to remediate this Country’s workplace bad faith crisis. 

Workplaces are currently enabled by Federal Law to allow different types of discrimination, harassment, hostile work environments, abuse of power, gross mismanagement, fraud, and other unlawful conduct due to the lack of enforced ethics. If an employee makes a complaint bad faith actions may develop. Internal investigations into complaints can be performed by the employer but it is not enforced or regulated to be thorough, fair, and just with Good Faith Ethics. Bad faith such as concealing or falsifying facts or even wrongful termination may occur. These types of acts can cause extreme stress and be torturously psychologically damaging. There is no protection by law from the torture and mental anguish that can wrongly be inflicted in the workplace.   

This is also effecting our country's healthcare and economy. An article by International Association for Human Resource Information Management (IHRIM) noted poor work environments are as harmful to health as second-hand smoke and that the workplace is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S. Many are presently fed up with this crisis and looking for new employment options. This along with other effects from bad faith actions in our work environments has the potential to cause even greater problems in our future healthcare and economy.

Addressing workplace issues now would help provide options for our future since individuals have limited rights as employees. One of the difficulties that needs to be overcome is with regard to cases such as Faragher v. City of Boca Raton. These types of judgements have given more power to the employer and in turn taken rights away from the employee. 

It is now time for a major change in Civil Rights and Employment Law to protect the employee’s mental health, physical health, and overall wellbeing. We have to give back some rights to the employees to make workplaces safe. Increasing Civil Rights for the individual and their health and safety by enforcing and regulating Good Faith Ethics in Employment Law is a must to offer and fulfill our inherent Human Rights. Sign now to support.

 

Cornell Law School - Good Faith​

United Nations - Universal Declaration of Human Rights​

United Nations - International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights​

Cornell Law School - Civil Rights​

National Library of Medicine - Workplace stress: A Neglected Aspect of Mental Health Wellbeing​

Human Rights Careers - What are Human Rights Violations?​

WorkSafe Victoria - Psychosocial Hazards Contributing to Work-Related Stress​

Paycor - Which States are At-Will Employment States?​

International Association for Human Resource Information Management - Solving the Workplace Health Crisis